Foundation for Education and Development
As mentioned recently, we have been using part of the donation fund to support a team of local documentarians better tell the ground story of what is really happening now in Myanmar. And they also created an earlier documentary when the streets were safer to be out on. But in truth, they are doing far more than creating these wonderful documentaries, as the following project outline spells out.
Committed to nonviolently resisting the illegal military takeover, their group plans to set up a Foundation for Education and Development (FED) that will “bring about human rights, democracy and a peaceful transition in Myanmar.” They hope to do so by training youth leaders in three parts of the country, setting up a program called the “Intensive Internship for Youth.”
In addition to the documentary team and the youth projects, the group is doing even more, as the document below spells out. They are also overseeing education programs on human rights, providing funds for protesters who have been arrested and tortured, setting up safe houses for those on the run, support Internally Displaced Persons fleeing for safety in the border regions, provide conflict resolution seminars, and much more.
Even as the group’s leaders are themselves in hiding and fleeing arrest from the military, they are trying to execute this noble work in dedication to their country’s improvement. But they cannot do so without your help, as they are now limited by funds in terms of what they are able to put into motion. Please consider offering a donation for their team so they can continue with their plan.
Foundation for Education and Development (FED) MYANMAR PROGRAM REPORT AND PROJECT PROPOSAL
On February 1st 2021, the Myanmar military took the state power again and detained the president, state councilor, elected MPs, students’ leaders, journalists, and human rights defenders.
The country is facing and will face for the foreseeable future many problems regarding peace, human rights, democracy, religious violence, poverty, and job opportunity. People are crossing the borders every day. Tens of thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) have been forced from their homes and are trying to rebuild their lives in unfamiliar areas which do not have the resources to sustain them. Many journalists have gone into hiding in so-called “safe environments” in difference areas of Myanmar in order to continue their professional work. Some of them have moved to rural areas, especially in cease-fire regions of border areas.
We have devoted our efforts to our mission and goals to bring about human rights, democracy and a peaceful transition in Myanmar. We have successfully expanded our information and distribution networks along the Thai-Burmese border, in Thailand and in several rural areas of Myanmar, using our networks cultivated over years of working with these communities.
Over the past few months, with help from our international donors, we have been providing the following services:
1) Accommodation (safe houses for activists who must hide from government persecution) 2) Transportation
3) Food allowances
4) Materials (phones, cameras, and IT tools)
5) Documents (IDs or passport to help facilitate safe movement and migration)
6) Legal Services and Prison visits (We have been providing support to activists – especially youth and labor rights activists - who are in police stations and prisons. Some families are very poor and cannot provide even basic food. We also assist in communication between inmates and their families and lawyers).
7) Digital Media Production (Our team has already produced two short documentary films to help inform the world in a deeper way about what is happening now in Myanmar)
We are sincerely grateful to the international donors and volunteers for their support, which enable us to continue our activities.
NEXT STEPS...
The next stage of our program must adapt to meet the specific needs of the dynamic situation on the ground.
Mission Statement:
To facilitate a community-based education of Burmese in Myanmar concerning the obstacles and opportunities for establishing a society that respects the human rights, democracy, social justice, and a gender perspective based on the rule of law.
Specific Goals:
1. Educate Myanmar people in Myanmar about the rights of individuals (human rights, women’s rights, children’s rights, labor rights) and how to protect themselves from abuses that are inherent in a non-democratic society.
2. Advocate for migrants whose rights are abused in both Myanmar and Thailand.
3. Document human rights abuses against Burmese people in Burma and Thailand.
4. To train a new generation of Burmese leaders and community activists.
5. To provide a range of services for refugees and IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) in Myanmar and near the borders.
Introduction
During the next month, we plan to begin a new program called “Intensive Internship for Youth” as part of this project with the purpose of equipping youth with necessary skills and knowledge to raise safe migration awareness, democracy and human rights in the respective communities. We will carry out this activity in Kayah State, Tanintharyi Region, and Yangon Region where our FED offices are located.
Rationale for the Activity
The military seized power in a coup in Myanmar on Feb 1st , 2021. Since then, millions of people have been conducting different activities against the military coup. Mass demonstrations, general strikes, CDM (Civil Disobedience Movement) of the government staff and private bank staff and many other activities occurred at the beginning. Yet, later, especially after the brutal and lethal crack downs on the peaceful protesters by the security forces, the revolution trend changed from the peaceful movements to civil defense. Many cities and areas have formed People Defense Forces with their own civilians to revolt against the military junta and fight back against the security forces. Thus, now, there are civil wars happening in many parts of the country.
As a consequence of the Feb 1 military coup, many peoples are now suffering in different ways. There are more IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) in ethnic states. Many people in the cities have lost their jobs and have no income. More than 800 civilians have been killed and more than 4,000 have been arbitrarily arrested and imprisoned. Many business firms and companies are closed even including the branches of the commercial banks across the country. The banking system, the health care system and the education system are almost broken down. The governing mechanism of the government has nearly stopped thanks to the CDM of the government employees.
The national economy of the country has shrunk. According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the country’s GDP growth is expected to contract by 9.8%, the inflation rate is forecasted at 6.2% and the per capita GDP growth rate is forecasted at -10.6% respectively.1 The Central Bank of Myanmar has limited the withdrawal amount at the commercial banks. Consequently, people have lost their trust in the banks and are trying to withdraw their money. At the same time, the closure of the private banks and the limitations on the withdrawal amount hinder the people from withdrawing their money. Therefore, people have to buy paper money (Myanmar kyat) in the market by using their digital money (mobile banking).
Such kinds of events make the “push factor” for both internal and external migration stronger and stronger. According to our experience, there will be more and more migrant people, IDPs and refugees in the near future. Thus, we need to prepare ourselves for such upcoming issues and this activity is one of our attempts at preparedness. These well-trained youth interns will not only be participating in our current migration activities, but also be a part of our future migration-related projects.
About the Activity
We will recruit 10 young people in each area and there will be 30 interns in total in one month. Because of COVID and general security, we cannot gather over twenty people in one place at the moment. Our recruitment plan is as follows.
1 Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2021, Economic Indicators for Myanmar
• For Kayah, we will recruit youth from IDP camps and remote areas. • For Tahnintharyi, we will select youth interns from our volunteers.
• For Yangon, we will recruit youth from our partner CSOs that are working on or planning to work on the migrant issues in Rakhin and Magway. Some interns will be selected from Yangon.
When we select the youth interns, we will pay primary attention to two things; a) youth who have finished at least secondary education or equivalent and, b) youth who have interest in or experience of working on the migration, peace and democracy issues. These youth interns will not only deliver the safe migration trainings but also participate in other activities such as conducting survey of migration and documenting human rights violations.
The internship period will be one month long. During this time, youth will have to learned about migrant issues, labor laws, human rights, migrants’ rights, basic office management, report writing, facilitation skills, project management, etc. At the same time, when/if we can gather people and deliver the safe migration trainings, they will be co-trainers and conduct safe migration campaigns. It will be a kind of on-the-job training for them.
After this project ends, we expect that they can continue working on the migrant issues in three ways.
1) Some can keep working with FED on the migrant issues as a volunteer or a staff member.
2) Some can work on the migrant issues with their mother organizations. FED and these organizations will work together on a partnership basis.
3) Some can form a local CSO or CBO in their own communities and work with FED. In this case, FED will provide them with technical support.
We believe these activities will contribute to the specific objectives of the project; a) to improve children and youth participation and the recognition of their rights and b) to ensure Burmese migrants a safe environment.
Youth Programs in Kayah state:
Additionally, we will have a special focus on encouraging and empowering youth and women in Kayah State. Our work will help ensure that members of these groups will be able to lead socio- economic development work and engage in the political process by encouraging purposeful involvement in their communities, expanding formal and non-formal education, and offering vocational training programs.
Project Objectives
1) Youth and women who are interested in education, development, and peace will be empowered and trained.
2) A responsible, sensitized, and dynamic political leadership in the state will emerge.
3) Youth and women will be well prepared to become responsible leaders of NGOs/CSOs, political parties, ceasefire groups and communities.
Project Summary
To achieve the above-mentioned goal and objectives, we will focus on the following program areas:
Formal and non-formal education programs
Vocational training programs for youth’s career development
Training programs for youth on peace building, human rights, federalism, and
constitutionalism to increase their understanding of the political process and their role
in conflict resolution and peace building process.
Training programs for youth on community development to identify areas of need at the
local level and to build peer to peer networks of youth organizations